. >> mitt romney was asked live on "with kelly and michael" who he liked better, snooki or honey boo boo. snooki heard about it but she a decided who she want. she wants to stick a few more facts in her head and roll them around. i didn't realize snooki was tall enough to vote, to be honest. you should be allowed to vote or be on engineer"jersey shore." she might be the only bern who's better off now than she was four years ago. >> even snooki should watch the debates tonight on cnn. >>> "early start" continues right now. >>> countdown to the throwdown. debate night, hours to go before barack obama and mitt romney's first head-to-head prime time face-off. >>> doctors trying to trace the source of a deadly form of meningitis. >>> airlines under investigation for loose seats. >>> good morning. i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. it's 6 a.m. in the east. >>> let the debate begin. tonight mitt romney and barack obama will be together in the same room for just the fourth time in their lives. as they square off in denver in the first 2012 presidential debate. the president making his